TestFlighthttp://www.maclife.com/taxonomy/term/7223/all
enThe Week's Hottest Apple News Stories, October 24http://www.maclife.com/article/gallery/weeks_hottest_apple_news_stories_october_24
<!--paging_filter--><p>Well, iOS 8.1 seemed to have gotten off with a less glitchy start than a few other software launches lately, and Apple Pay seems to be making the news. Will you be using your iPhone 6 at the checkout counter? Not if you go to one drug store. Meanwhile, it's beginning to look a lot like October out there, and at least ten apps want to get you ready for the season. &nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/gallery/weeks_hottest_apple_news_stories_october_24#commentsGalleryApple IApple PayAppsBank of Americabiopicchristian balegameshalloween appsiOS 8iOS 8.1iphone salesMacMac salesnew gamesRite-AidSteve Jobssteve jobs biopicTestFlightSat, 25 Oct 2014 00:30:00 +0000J Keirn-Swanson20840 at http://www.maclife.comApple Releases TestFlight App Beta Testing to the Publichttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_releases_testflight_app_beta_testing_public
<!--paging_filter--><p>An iOS public beta may still be the stuff of legend, but Apple today ensured that developers could get easy widespread feedback for their prerelease iOS apps&nbsp;by extending the amount of people who can test them through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_buys_burstly_parent_company_testflight" target="_blank">TestFlight</a>. Initially showcased at WWDC back in June, TestFlight now allows third-party developers to invite up to 1,000 members of the public to best test their apps ahead of launch.</p><p>That's a big step up from Apple's original description of the service, which limited developers to 100 beta invitations. Indeed, TestFlight is now all about inclusiveness. At the very least, it removes the barrier of required technical expertise from the process and ensures that a wider pool of beta testers have a chance to identify bugs and related problems.</p><p><img src="/files/u334114/2014/10/testflightdevices.jpg" width="620" height="367" /></p><p>Even the process of gaining access to beta tests is easier. Obtaining a TestFlight invitation from a developer simply directs users to the official app through iTunes Connect, where they then download and run TestFlight without having to worry about finding their device's UDID or installing provisioning files. They're not even required to check their e-mail for news about recent builds, as notifications in iOS 8 inform them when new builds are ready.</p><p>Those updates may not go out as frequently as some developers wish. One big catch associated with TestFlight is that apps must pass a Beta App Review from Apple, much like the reviews apps must already pass before they're allowed to appear on iTunes. That puts the service at a disadvantage compared to existing testing platforms like Hockey, which suffer from no such setbacks.</p><p>But for developers, it's likely worth the wait. If you're interested, head over to the <a href="https://developer.apple.com/app-store/testflight/" target="_blank">special page</a> Apple's made regarding getting started with the service.</p><p><em>Follow this article's writer,<a href="https://twitter.com/LeifJohnson" target="_blank"> Leif Johnson</a>, on Twitter.</em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_releases_testflight_app_beta_testing_public#commentsNewsAppsbetaiOSiPadiphoneMacTestFlighttestingiPadiPhoneiPodThu, 23 Oct 2014 23:24:09 +0000Leif Johnson20834 at http://www.maclife.comWWDC 2014: Tim Cook Talks App Store Improvements, App Bundleshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/wwdc_2014_tim_cook_talks_app_store_improvements_app_bundles
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/ios_8_app_store_wwdc_improvemnets_620px.png" alt="iOS 8 App Store improvements" width="620" height="300" /></p><p>After detailing an exhaustive list of changes coming this fall with <a href="http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/" target="_blank">OS X Yosemite</a> and <a href="http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/" target="_blank">iOS 8</a>, Apple executives turned their laser focus to the App Store and how developers will be able to do more with these virtual storefronts.<br /><br />Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook returned to the stage at WWDC 2014 on Monday following the unveil of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite to chat up the App Store and Mac App Store, detailing new features that developers will be able to tap into.<br /><br />Starting with iOS 8, the App Store will now feature a new Explore tab as well as Trending Searches, directly addressing the complaints of many developers about how difficult it often us for customers to find their apps.<br /><br />Search results will also become more useful thanks to continuous scroll and related searches. Apple-selected apps will also be emblazoned with an Editor's Choice logo so the cream of the crop stands out from the crowd.<br /><br />Developers greeted Cook's next news with a round of applause: iOS 8 will finally allow developers to sell a bundle of apps in the same purchase, making it easy to group games and other content within a single discounted package.<br /><br />Last but not least, developers will now have free access to TestFlight, a recent Apple acquisition that brings beta builds straight into iOS 8. Developers can invite customers or members of the media to run beta builds of an app prior to release, all without having to use a third-party service.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/" target="_blank">iOS 8</a> is expected to be released this fall, and developers attending WWDC will receive a new version of the software development kit (SDK) during the conference this week.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/wwdc_2014_tim_cook_talks_app_store_improvements_app_bundles#commentsNewsapp bundlesApp Storebeta testingsDevelopersExploreiOS 8OS X YosemiteTestFlightTim CookWWDC 2014iPadiPhoneiPodMon, 02 Jun 2014 18:46:15 +0000J.R. Bookwalter20067 at http://www.maclife.comDeveloper News: TestFlight Launches FlightPath, Apple New Requirementshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/developer_news_testflight_launches_flightpath_apple_new_requirements
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/flightpath_beta_200px.png" alt="FlightPath beta" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />Mobile app developers have a couple of new iOS requirements from Apple this week, while the folks behind TestFlight have introduced a private beta for their new real-time analytics solution.<br /><br />Apple posted <a href="https://developer.apple.com/news/" target="_blank">a pair of announcements to its developer portal on Thursday</a> which will affect iOS submissions to the App Store, both effective as of May 1, 2013.<br /><br />The first is a new requirement which dictates "new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built for iOS devices with Retina display," while noting that "iPhone apps must also support the four-inch display on iPhone 5." We certainly applaud the change -- as quickly as most developers have adopted, there are still too many apps out there being updated without taking advantage of the latest handset, for example.<br /><br />Perhaps the bigger change comes with Apple no longer accepting new apps or app updates that require Unique Device Identifier (UDID), an effort to increase privacy by curbing rogue developers from being able to track which devices are using their apps.<br /><br />But developers also got some good news this week, with <a href="http://www.flightpathapp.com/" target="_blank">the private beta launch of FlightPath</a>. The work of leading app beta-testing platform TestFlight, FlightPath promises to bring app data to life in an easy to understand and fully interactive front-page format, all in real time.<br /><br />"Up until now, it can be a laborious and complex process for developers to use existing analytics tools to learn more about their app’s usage," explains Ben Satterfield, co-founder of TestFlight. "It usually involves digging through multiple pages and then waiting hours to days in order to view specific data. With FlightPath, developers can now do it all on one page, with one click.”<br /><br />Best of all, developers can use the same TestFlight SDK they're already using to activate FlightPath when an app is submitted to the App Store. Developers are encouraged to <a href="http://www.flightpathapp.com/" target="_blank">sign up now on the TestFlight website</a>.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/developer_news_testflight_launches_flightpath_apple_new_requirements#commentsNewsApp StoreApple Inc.DevelopersFlightPathiOS Dev Centeriphone 5private betaretina displayTestFlightUDIDiPadiPhoneiPodFri, 22 Mar 2013 11:52:53 +0000J.R. Bookwalter16553 at http://www.maclife.comTestFlight Helps Developers Polish Their iOS Appshttp://www.maclife.com/article/ipad/testflight_helps_developers_polish_their_ios_apps
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u286882/testflight200.jpg" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />One of the most frustrating hurdles in the iOS development process is beta testing. Given that in most cases, an App can't make its way on to multiple iOS devices without first being accepted into the iTunes App Store, providing test copies of a new mobile application can be an exercise in frustration. Given this restriction, a lot of iOS apps reach consumers unpolished and in dire need of some tinker-work. Fortunately all of this may be a thing of the past, as the folks from a new service called TestFlight have stepped forward to make getting the kinks out of new iOS software a little less painful.</p><p>By turning to TestFlight, developers have the opportunity to see their applications receive a good going over before they are submitted to iTunes. TestFlight does this by allowing developers to submit their application's IPA to their servers, build a list of individuals to test the application out on their iOS devices, and then return feedback to the developer based on the user experience enjoyed by the testers.</p><p>For developers interested in taking TestFlight for an, um, test flight, their website can be found <a href="http://testflightapp.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>Follow this article's author, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SeamusBellamy" target="_blank">Seamus Bellamy on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em><br /></em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/ipad/testflight_helps_developers_polish_their_ios_apps#commentsNewsApp developementbetasIPAiTunes app storeTestFlightiPadiPhoneiPodMon, 24 Jan 2011 20:29:46 +0000Seamus Bellamy9685 at http://www.maclife.com